A dilemma on Orchid Island.

Abstract

“Ah, Indian River country,” remarked Theodore Conrad as he drove the car rental southward to Vero Beach. “Our favorite vacation spot,” affirmed Elizabeth. “I was just thinking about a potential public health conundrum that might take place in this part of the world,” added Theodore. “Tell us about it,” pleaded Thaddeus and Alexandra from the back seat. “With pleasure….” At the wheel of his new silver Volvo sat Seymour Lavin. Sy and his new bride, Joyce, were headed south on US 1 to their new home in Orchid Island. They had just left the Blue Gull Marina in Sebastian, where they had enjoyed a lunch of charbroiled shrimp over endive with balsamic-based vinaigrette and a bottle of their favorite California Chardonnay. With the solitude provided by closed windows and the stereo featuring a Mozart concerto, Sy and Joyce each quietly contemplated the future. Sy had a new lease on life, a new bride and a new home. He had finally come to grips with the loss of Ruth, his first wife, and her painful battle with the ravages of metastatic breast carcinoma. For more than a year after Ruth’s passing in 1994, Sy had been severely depressed, seemingly lost without his soulmate and partner. He had been unable to concentrate on his successful real estate business in Chicago. He barely coped with life. However, his grief had been assuaged 18 months later when he met 31-year-old Joyce through a mutual friend. A physical therapist, Joyce was bright, vivacious and sensitive. Her attentiveness, engaging personality and feminine charms had restored Sy’s peace of mind, and he felt like a young man again. Sy and Joyce were married on December 15, 1996, and chose to spend their winter months at their new home on the shores of Orchid Island in central Florida. …